


after all this time (i'm still into you)

by xoratari



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-04 23:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21205694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoratari/pseuds/xoratari
Summary: Taking care of a sick Tetsurou was far from fun. He wasn’t used to spending the entire day in bed. They might cuddle for hours on Sundays, but that was because he wanted to. It was an entirely different thing when he had to. He got bored. And whenever Tetsurou was bored, Kenma was the one who had to suffer.





	after all this time (i'm still into you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yellowwclouds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowwclouds/gifts).

> This is my part of a trade with [Jules](https://twitter.com/yellowwclouds/status/1188892627388784640), please do yourself a favor and go check her art!! I hope you like this dumb story, thanks for enabling me and falling for my rareships!! 
> 
> And as usual, thanks [milnor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/milnor/) for beta-reading and spending half an hour trying to fix a single sentence. (And for crying with me over dumb volleyboys sob.)

When something soft poked his cheek, Kenma already knew what was coming. If he didn’t get out of bed in the next ten minutes, the pokes wouldn’t be as soft anymore, and a chorus of _meows_ would demand his attention. “Five more minutes,” he groaned as if that had ever worked before. If his cat understood, he didn’t seem to care—this time he aimed at his nose. Kenma could have just rolled and turned his back to him, but that wouldn’t have bought him more than a few extra minutes. Besides, there was another ball of fluff nested up against his shoulder. He would rather chop his arm off than wake up his other cat.

An arm wrapped around his waist kept him from moving, Tetsurou holding him close to his chest even while asleep. Kenma didn’t mind so much waking him up, or so he told himself as he reached to pull the bird’s nest he called hair away so he could gaze at his sleeping face. A paw to his lips stopped his smile from growing, warning him time was up. By the third meow, the second cat stirred and joined his brother in demanding his attention.

After years of living together, Kenma was used to waking up like this. The only difference with his regular mornings was Tetsurou not being the loudest of the group. He was usually up by then, nagging him to seize the day, whatever that was supposed to mean. Kenma could seize the day just fine from the warmth of his bed.

“Kuro,” he called, adopting their cats’ manners and poking his cheek. All he got in response was a groan. “It’s your turn to feed them.”

“But I feed them every morning,” Tetsurou complained, his voice groggier than usual.

“Why break the habit, then?” he asked, rolling on his back so Tetsurou could get up.

Tetsurou groaned again when the demon’s spawns jumped on his stomach. They darted out of the room as he made a move to sit, but instead of following them he leaned down again—he wouldn’t leave until he got his morning kiss.

Kenma frowned as soon as their lips met. “You’re hot.” He regretted his choice of words when he saw the stupid smirk on his face. Cupping his cheeks, he coaxed him to move so he could press a kiss to his forehead and frowned once again when it was just as warm as he had expected. “I told you you would get sick.”

“But it’s been so long since the whole team got together!” Tetsurou whined. “You can’t tell me you didn’t have fun.”

“I did,” he admitted. They’d made a tradition out of meeting at least once a year to catch up, eat enough food to feed a small country and play some volleyball. Even if he had never been much of a fan of outdoor sports, he couldn’t deny their impromptu match had been fun. “Until it started raining and you refused to get off the court.”

Tetsurou shrugged. “I feel perfectly f—” A sneeze even more obnoxious than his laugh betrayed his lie.

“Yes, I can see that,” Kenma swallowed down a sigh. “You’d better take it easy today, you won’t be able to play next week’s match if you’re sick.” Without even having time to complain, Tetsurou sneezed again. He knew the possibility of missing the last match of the season might be enough to get him to rest, but he didn’t seem convinced. “You’re always taking care of me, would you let me take care of you for once?”

That seemed to work, given the way Tetsurou smiled at him as if he had just declared his love for him for the first time. Satisfied for the time being, Kenma tucked him in, pressed another kiss to his forehead and rushed to the kitchen before the temptation to join him and cuddle all day grew too strong.

Taking care of a sick Tetsurou was far from fun. He wasn’t used to spending the entire day in bed. They might cuddle for hours on Sundays, but that was because he _wanted_ to. It was an entirely different thing when he _had_ to. He got bored. And whenever Tetsurou was bored, Kenma was the one who had to suffer.

Breakfast in bed was nice. They had apple pie leftovers and Kenma had been graceful enough to make some coffee to drink. Kicking his ass in Super Smash Bros was fun, and so was cuddling while they caught up on their favorite show, cats warming up their feet. Still, at some point Kenma had to catch up on the work he had been procrastinating on all week. Working from home as a game developer was nice, as long as he managed to keep focused on his task list. But being the king of procrastinating, he often found himself running code sprints until the sun was up. It didn’t matter how much work he had to do, though. If Tetsurou was sick _and_ bored, that was all that mattered. He wouldn’t stop nagging him for attention.

Hoping it would be enough to keep him happy, Kenma grabbed his laptop from his office so he could keep Tetsurou company while he worked. When he got back to their shared room, Tetsurou was already waiting for him with open arms. Indulging him was a mistake—not even half an hour later, Kenma could feel his gaze on him, silently observing him. A side glance was enough to confirm his suspicions.

“Kuro,” he said, eyes fixed on his screen. “Whatever you’re about to do, don’t.” Instead of replying, Tetsurou kept quiet. Not suspicious at all. “_Kozume Tetsurou_,” he warned as he turned to face him. He never thought that after two years of calling him by his own family name it would still make his heart skip a beat, but it did. From the dopey grin on Tetsurou’s face, it had the same effect on him. The mischievous glint in his eyes was something else, though. “Don’t,” he repeated, but all it did was make Tetsurou’s smile grow. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“I’m sick!” Tetsurou pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. “You wouldn’t let me sleep on the couch.”

“Then I’ll sleep on the couch, and you’ll be all alone when the cats follow me.”

Tetsurou squinted at him. “You wouldn’t last more than an hour and then crawl back into bed complaining you’re cold.”

Even if he had a point, that didn’t mean Kenma would admit it. He didn’t have much time to think about it, though—before he could react, Tetsurou attacked his sides, fingers pressing against his ribs and sending him into a giggling fit. His knees jerked up in reflex as he fell backwards against the mattress, unable to escape from his grasp. He had always been sensitive to tickles and this wasn’t the first time he accidentally kicked away one of his cats trying to get break free. Tetsurou barely managed to catch his laptop before it fell to the floor, placing it on top of the bedside table while his other hand was still trapping him.

Kenma was still wheezing when Tetsurou finally let go, and had to take a few deep breaths to recover. When he opened his eyes, Tetsurou was looking down at him with adoration in his eyes, hands on either side of his head. He tried to put on his best annoyed expression, but it was almost impossible with such a soft smile directed at him.

“Kuro,” he protested. “I have to work.” Tetsurou ignored him, leaving a trail of chaste kisses down his neck. The closer his lips got to his collarbone, the weaker his resolve got. Kenma’s half-hearted attempt to push him away was fruitless. “You’re gonna give me all your germs.”

“Then I’ll take care of you,” Kuroo mouthed against the line of his jaw as he moved up to kiss his temple. “I’ll show you how grateful I am to have a boyfriend who loves me very much and takes care of me.”

“I can’t afford rent on my own if you die.”

“Hm,” Tetsurou didn’t seem affected by his answer, pulling away to meet his eyes. “I knew that was the reason you were dating me.”

Kenma shrugged. “Why else would I keep up with your drool all over my shirt?”

“Technically,” Tetsurou raised his eyebrows, “that’s _my_ shirt.”

“Not anymore,” Kenma replied, but the smugness in his face didn’t last long when calloused fingers threatened his sides again. His whole body tensed in defense, but the attack never came—Tetsurou’s obnoxious laugh filled the room as he let him go. How someone in his late-twenties could be so happy about threatening his husband with _tickles_ was beyond him. How it made Kenma fall deeper for him every time it happened made even less sense.

“I love you,” Tetsurou whispered as he leaned closer and bumped their noses together.

“I hate you,” Kenma replied, but kissed him anyway. They both knew he never meant that.

He used to think that after so many years of dating, kissing Tetsurou would somehow lose its effect on him. It didn’t. Even if he had memorized the way he moved, his musky scent that he would recognize in a sea of people, how he threaded fingers through his hair and tugged ever so lightly, how he smiled against his lips before pulling away, it still felt like that first kiss by the riverbank, the day before Tetsurou moved away for university almost ten years ago.

It was odd, when he thought about it. He didn’t really know how he fell in love with someone like him, when they were so different. He was just a dork with terrible hair, an ugly smirk, and an even worse laugh, always pushing him to do more, always hovering over him to make sure he was taking proper care of himself.

But then again, he didn’t really need to think so hard about it. After all, those were all the reasons why he fell for him in the first place. His terrible hair didn’t look as bad when they woke up together—holding Kenma tightly against his chest kept Tetsurou from burying his face between his pillows. His ugly smirk turned into a crooked grin that filled his heart with warmth when it was directed at him. His even worse laugh was the highlight of his days when he was the one to provoke it. His constant pushing made him want to _be_ better. His overprotectiveness made him realize the feeling was mutual.

If the twenty years they had been together as friends, boyfriends and then husbands had proven something, it was that he could always count on him. Like when he got sick two days later and Kenma made sure to be as annoying as possible, but never heard a single complain. Even if he himself hadn’t fully recovered yet, Tetsurou was more than happy to pamper him as much as necessary, complying with his every whim with a smile and a kiss on the tip of his nose. 

As they spent the day sharing a box of tissues, cuddling in bed with a cat purring on each side, all Kenma could do was wonder where the next twenty years would find them. Maybe they would have ten more cats, if Tetsurou had his way. Maybe they wouldn’t, if Kenma managed to put some sense into him. Tetsurou’s volleyball career might flop, or Kenma’s games might not sell as much as he hoped. There was only one thing he knew for sure: as long as they were together, everything else would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments fuel me to keep writing!  
Feel free to reach me at [Tumblr](https://allmycharactersaregay.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/xoratari/)!!


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